ROSACE^E 393
a fine art. With every advance in our knowledge of the chemistry of
otto of rose, the unscrupulous advisers of the Bulgarian sophisticators
have prepared cheap artificial products similar in characters to the
natural constituents, so that it is necessary to judge the quality of an
otto of rose with great care, since the physical characters are closely
simulated by the artificial adulterants.
Formerly palmarosa oil was almost the only adulterant used. To-day
geraniol, citronellol, and similar bodies are used to the exclusion of the
crude palmarosa oil. It is surprising that an industry of so much im-
portance should have been allowed to go on for so many years fettered
by two such great evils; firstly, the enormous adulteration practised,
secondly, the defective methods of preparation, resulting in the spoiling
of the fine odour of much of the otto. Although climate and soil have
so great an influence on the yield and quality of the oil, there can be no
doubt that there are localities where rose cultivation and distillation could
be carried on in a scientific as well as an honest way.
Formerly the dealers were responsible for the greater part of the
adulteration, but now the small growers come in for their share of the
illicit profits, and not only do they add the adulterant to the distillate,
but frequently sprinkle the leaves with geraniol before distillation, believ-
ing that they so obtain a better " blend ".
The value of a pure oil depends on the quality of the flowers used
and on the care taken in distillation. It also depends on the amount of
solid stearoptene present, for this portion of the oil is quite inodorous.
The value of otto in the locality of its distillation is gauged almost
entirely by its melting-point. Consequently spermaceti or even paraffin
wax has been added to counteract the reducing influence of the liquid
geranium oil. Recently, too, guaiacum wood oil (so-called), an oil of
fine odour which solidifies with a fine crystalline structure at ordinary
temperatures, and consists of bodies much resembling those in oil of
roses, has been used as an adulterant.
In this connection it may be mentioned that no standard for the
quantity of stearoptene present in natural rose oil can be fixed, as climatic
conditions appear to influence the ratio of the solid to the liquid portion
very greatly. From 10 to 20 per cent, occurs in Bulgarian oil, whereas
that obtained in the south of France, in England, and in Germany, has
been stated to contain from 25 to 65 per cent, of stearoptene. In the
case of so high a content as the latter figure it is certain that the oil was
not prepared in the normal way, probably being the result of the distilla-
tion of rose water. Further, steam distilleries are being erected, and so
far as one can judge at the present moment, an otto of different properties
is obtained when distilled by steam instead of in the usual manner.
In Germany, Schimmel & Co. have laid out plantations near Klein-
Miltitz, and although the natural resources of climate and soil are not so
favourable here as in Bulgaria or Southern France, the scientific and
careful way in which the oil is obtained to a certain extent counter-
balances this, and a fairly fine otto is obtained. The amount, however,
is only very small. In Algeria a small amount of otto is produced, but
the yield is less than in Bulgaria. In Persia and Cashmere, however, it
is said that nearly 1 Ib. of otto is obtained from 1500 to 2000 Ib. of petals.
Anatolia, Hungary, Russia, and Spain also produce a small amount
of otto of rose, but apart from Bulgaria, France is the only important
rose-growing country.